Brooder.



Patented Mar. l2, |90l.

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(Application filed Apr. 9, 1900.)

(No Modaal.)`

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OLIVER W. RANDOLPH, OF MGOLURE, OHIO.

BROODER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 669,856, dated March12, 1901. Application led April 9,1900. Serial No. 12,226. KNO model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER W. RANDOLPH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mc- Olure, in the county of I-Ienry and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Brooders, of which thefollowing is a specification. p

My invention relates to improvements in brooders, and has for itsobjects to provide an efficient artificial substitu te for the motherhen for the brooding of young chicks, in which a uniform heat centrallyapplied is radiated downward upon the chicks, keeping their bodieswarmer than their feet and legs; furthermore, that is provided with abroodingchamber that is free from corners wherein the chicks may beinjured from crowding,

` readilyaccessible for cleansing, efficiently lighted, evenly heatedand ventilated, and provided with a convenient adjustable runway adaptedto admit access to the open air either on or off the ground, and iinallyto provide a brooder in which either air or water may be used as amedium of heat distribution. I accomplish these objects as illustratedin the drawings and hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure l is a transverse section in perspective of myinvention with an air-heater applied and showing a runway inclined tothe ground. Fig. 2 is an interior plan view of my invention. Fig. 3 isan enlarged transverse section of a ventilatorslide. Fig. 4 istransverse section with a water-heater applied and with a runway raisedand closed.

Referring to the drawings, A is the casing of the brooder, comprising acylindrical wall l, having a vestibule 2, runway doors or open-` ings 3,windows 4, ventilator-openings 5, a bottom 6, having a central orifice7, legs 8 for supporting the casing, a top 9, having a central orifice10, a detachable hood 11, forming a roof for the brooder, having acentral ventilator 12 at its apex, and handles 13.

The bottom 6 is provided with a metallic lining-tube 14 for orifice 7,projecting within and without the casing, having a supportingledge l5,provided with a vertical iiange 16, concentric with the tube andsupporting a concentric screen 17, and having asbestos or other suitableflreproof lining interposed between the ledge 15 and the bottom 6.

Secured to the bottom 6, at one side of orifice 7 and dependingtherefrom,is a lampbracket 18, having a shelf 19, hinged at one end tothe lower end of bracket 18 and provided at the other with a staple oreye 20, adapted to engage a hook 21, pivotally pendent from the bottom6, and support the shelf in a horizontal position beneath orifice 7.

Suspended from top 9 through orifice 10 by cleats 22, secured to a topclosure-disk 23, adapted to fit easily into orifice l() and providedwith a concentric overlapping rim 24, adapted to completethe closure ofthe oriflce, is an adjustable heater B, comprising an inverted hollowmetallic cone having a base 25 of equal diameter with disk 23, to whichit is adjustably secured by thumb-nut bolts 26, with an asbestos lining27 interposed, and having its apex cut away and provided with a iue 28,conical at its upper end, cylindrical and open at its lower end, andextending through the lining-tube 14 of orice 7 in bottom 6. Securedconcentrically to the flue 28 and diverging downward therefrom is aconical hood 29, adapted to enter the tube 14 and close the annularopening around the fiue 28.

Through the base 25 and disk 23 draft-tubes 30 are provided ofsufficient length to allow the heater B to be lowered by bolts 26 andadjusted in the position desired.

Supported on shelf 19 is a lamp 31, having an inverted conical metallicchimney 32, provided with mica windows 33, by which the condition of theflame may be observed, and adapted at its upper end to enter thecylindrical portion of the base of the flue 28 of the heater B and closeits lower end, thereby completing the closure of both orifices 7 and 10.

By this construction it is apparent that when the lamp 31 is lighted itwill heat the air in heater B and that the air in the circularhover-chamber formed bythe wall l and the screen 17 will be heatedmainly from the top downward. The ventilator-openings 5 are preferablyplaced less than the height of a chick above the bottom 6 in the wall l,whereby as the body of air above becomes heated the expansion of the airwill force a portion of the colder air below out of theventilatoropenings until the entire body of air down to the level of theventilator-openings becomes IOO heated, when warm air will escape,leaving a zone of cooler air at the bottom about the feet and legs ofthe chicks, which will be maintained by fresh air through therunwayopenings located at the bottom, drawn in to supply the warm airescaping through the ventilators, and thus producing a condition similarto natural brooding and essential to the strength and health of thechicks.

The heater may be lowered in the hoverchamber by bolts 26 when desirableto have the heat radiation move directly upon the brood. The screen 17,which is preferably made of open-meshed wire and designed to keep thechicks from direct contact with the heater without obstructing the heatradia tion, is limited in height to allow the heater to be lowered.

An adjustable water-heater C, as shown in Fig. 4, is also provided, ingeneral form and construction similar to air-heater B and having similarmeans of adjustment, which, as desired, may be substituted therefor, buthaving the central body portion enlarged and provided with a centralfunnel-shaped flue 34, having a cylindrical top portion 35, extendingthrough a central orifice 36 in a top Closure-disk and with a, mung-mbe37, also extended through disk 23. The lower end of flue 34 is alsoprovided with a cylindrical base extension 38, extending throughliningtube 14 of orice 7, and is provided with a hood 29, adapted toclose the annular opening around the flue, which is also adapted toreceive the lamp-chimney 31. The heater C being filledwith water, thewater is heated by ue 34, and the heat is uniformly radiated downwardtherefrom into all parts of the hover-chamber, as from heater B.

By the circular form of the hover-chamber the crowding of chicks intocorners, often resulting in the crushing or smothering of the weakerones, is wholly avoided. By removing the roof-hood 11 the heater B or C(whichever may be in use) and the lining-tube 14, together with thescreen 17, may be lifted out, and every part of the hover-chamber isthereby made easily accessible through orifice 10 for cleansing, the oldlitter and dirt therein being readily swept out through orifice 7 andfresh litter for the floor substituted.

To place the lamp in position for heating the brooder, shelf 19 isdropped to a vertical position, the top of the lamp-chimney is insertedwithin the lower end of the line of the heater, and the shelf 19 is thenraised and secured in a horizontal position by hook 21, whereby the lampis supported by the shelf, with the top of the chimney within andcontacting with the inner surface of the heaterflue. To insure the lampfrom being blown out by the wind, a hood 39, provided with an opening 40for the chimney and with air-inlets 41, is` provided.

Hinged to the bottom of vestibule 2 of the casing A is a runway 42,having sides 43, a bottom 44, and an end door 45, hinged to the bottom44, adapted to close the outer end of the runway. Door 45 opensoutwardly and is provided with legs 46, which when the door is closed,as shown in Fig. 4, are in position to support the runway in ahorizontal position above the ground on a level with the bottom of thebroeder-casing A. By opening the door 45 the legs 46 are foldedunderneath the bottom 44, in which position the outer end of the runwaymay be lowered to the ground, as shown in Fig. 1, to form an ineline bywhich the chicks may pass from the brooder to the ground and return. Thesides 43 of the runway are connected to the sides of the vestibule 2 byany suitable connection 47, of flexible fabric, adapted to fold togetherwhen the runway israised to a horizontal position and to unfold to closethe triangular gaps between the sides of the runway and the sides of thevestibule when the runway is lowered to form an incline.

Ventilator-openings 5 are provided with a sliding shutter 48, adapted toslide in ways 49, by which any number or all of the ventilator-openingsmay be closed.

Windows'4 are formed by fitting panes of glass into suitable frameshinged to the wall 1 of casing A, provided with suitable openingstherefor.

Hood 11 is made large enough at the base to receive the top of casing Awithin it and. rest upon it. In this position it forms a roof forthe-broeder and provides an upper chamber adapted to be heated by theheat escaping through the Hue of the heater, thereby further utilizingthe heat generated to keep the entire top of the casing warm and inretaining the heat within the brooding-chamber.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim to be new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

. 1. In a brooder, the combination with a cylindrical housing mounted onsupports and having orifices, one central through the top, and anothercentral through the bottom of the housing, both concentric with thehousingwall, of a removable closure for the orifice in the top, seatedtherein, a heater secured to and suspended from the top closure, withinand centrally through the chamber of the housing, and removabletherefrom by removing the closure, said heater being conically enlargedtoward its top, and adapted at its bottom end, when so suspended, toclose the orifice in the bottom or iioor of the housing, and providedwith a hot-air-inlet flue through its bottom, and with one or moreoutlet-dues extended through the top closure, and a meshed screen withinthe housing-chamber around the heater, concentricwith the wall of thehousing, substantially as shown and described and for the purpose setforth.

2. In combination in a brooder, a cylindrical casing, mounted onsupports and provided with runway and ventilator openings, a top and abottom for the casing, each provided with a central orifice concentricwith the cas- IOO IIO

ing-wall, a removable closure for the orifice in the top, seatedtherein; a heater adjustably secured to and suspended from the topclosure, within and centrally through the chamber of the casing, andremovable therefrom by removing the closure, said heater being adapted,at the bottom, to close the orice in the bottom of the casing, andhaving `an air-inlet flue at the bottom and an outletrunway-openings, ofa vestibule for the runway-openings secured to the housing, and providedwith sides, a runway hinged at one end to the fioor of the vestibule andhaving sides connected with the sides of the vestibule by folding fabricconnections, a door adapted to close the opening between the sides atthe outer end of the runway, hinged to the floor of the runwayandladapted to open outwardly, legs secured to the door, adapted tosupport the runway in a horizontal position when the door is closed, andto fold beneath the runway when the door is opened and the runway isinclined to the ground, substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 24th day of March,A. D. 1900.

OLIVER W. RANDOLPH. Witnesses:

A. T. RocHTE, F. C. DIELMAN.

